Rotary engine.



P. 0. GRUNDBERG.

ROTARY ENGINE. Arrmonmli FILED In 10, 1905.

ANDREW. B. comma co. wnom-uruoamwuins. wAsumGYou. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5', 1905.

Application filed May 10, 1905. Serial No. 259,709.

To all whoin it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, PER OsoAR GRUNDBERG, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, and a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of engines embodying in the construction a rotary piston; and the object of my invention is to provide a device of this class that shall be particularly efiicient in operation, simple as to construction, and one in which the maximum efliciency may be attained with the use of a minimum amount of steam or pressure-producing medium. A form of device in the use of which these objects may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an engine embodying my invention with one side plate removed. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical cross-section through the device, the supply and exhaust pipes being omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail view in cross-section through the valve and connected passages. Fig. 4 is a detail view, on reduced scale, in lengthwise section through the valve.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 denotes the base or bed plate of the engine, to which is secured in a suitable manner a shell 2. These parts are formed of any suitable metal, the shell having a central opening in which a spider 3 is located. The shell is preferably formed in halves, joined by bolts, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and on one side of the shell a web 4 extends from the periphery of the opening toward the center thereof. The spider 3 is keyed to a shaft 5, which may be supported at opposite ends in suitable bearings. (Not shown.)

The spider 3 has guide-plates 6 secured to the hub and to the rim, these guide-plates forming guideways for pistons 7, located, preferably, on diametrically opposite sides of the spider, and preferably two in number. The

guideways project through the periphery of the spider, and the pistons 7 are adapted to project across the opening between the periphery of the spider and the inner wall of the shell 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The outer ends of the pistons are formed in the shape of a blade, practically of a width to extend across the chamber formed in the casing. Each of the pistons has a shank 8 encircled by a spiral spring 9, which tends to hold the piston normally at the outer limit of its play. Cover-plates 10 are located at the edges of the opening through the shell 2 and are secured to the shaft 5 to rotate therewith. Packings 11 are located at the edges or peripheries of the cover-plates and between said edges and the inner wall of the shell, a suitable groove being formed to receive this packing, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. These cover-plates are secured together and to the spider 3, as by means of bolts 12, passing through said parts from side to side and secured as by means of nuts 13. Rings 14 are secured to the outer side of the shell, these rings projecting, as to their inner edges, preferably inward beyond the opening to the shell, so that they form flanges 15 to hold the cover-plates 10 in place and also to form one wall of agroove in which the packings 11 are located. Each of the cover-plates is provided with grooves 15, in which the edges of the piston-blades 7 travel. These grooves form guides for the pistons. The pistons are thus firmly and strongly supported to receive the thrust of the driving medium and move easily in the guideways. A supplypipe 16 extends from asuitable source of supply, (not shown,) and branches 17 18, communicating with the supply-pipe, extend to the chamber within the shell 2, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A valve-casing 19, containing a valve 20, is suitably located to control the flow of steam or like driving medium to the casing and also to control the exhaust of steam therefrom. This valve may be of any suitable construction to perform the function requiredthat is, to admit steam through either of the pipes 17 or 18 and to exhaust steam through the opposite pipe'l7 or 18.

In the form of valve shown there is an inletport 21, arranged to deliver steam from the pipe 16 to either of the pipes 17 or 18, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The valve has also an exhaust-port 22, arranged to come municate with either of the pipes 17 or 18 and delivering to an exhaust-opening 23, extending, preferably, diametrically through the valve.

It will be noted from this construction that the engine may be suitably reversed by means of this valve, or by turning the valve, so that neither of the openings 24 therein register with the pipes 16, 17, or 18, no steam will be admitted and the engine will not rotate.

In the operation of the device, the valve being in the position shown in Fig. 3, steam is admitted through the pipe 16 to the valve and through the pipe 17 into the chamber in the shell, exerting force against the piston at the lower side of the spider, as shown in Fig. 1, and forcing the lower part of the spider tothe right. The exhaust-steam escapes through the pipe 18, through the port 24 and exh austopening 23, and out through the exhaust-pipe 25. (Shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.) As the piston just described approaches the web 4 it is forced inward, and the piston on the diametrically opposite side is forced outward by its spring 9 to receive the full force of the steam just as soon as the piston-has passed the opening into the shell from the pipe 17 What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Ina rotary steam-engine, in combination,

a shell with supply and exhaust pipes therefrom, rotatable plates forming sidewalls for the opening in the shell, a spider located within said opening, a shaft to which the spider is secured, and pistons having blades extending across the opening in the shell and with reduced portions forming shanks, and springs surrounding said shanks to force the pistons to the outer limit of their play,

2. In a rotary engine, in combination with a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, plates rotatably mounted in the shell and forming the side walls of the chamber therein and having piston guidegrooves,aspider mounted within said chamber, a shaft to which the spider is'secured, pistons borne by the spider and with their edges projecting into said grooves in the coverplates and having shanks, and springs surrounding said shanks for holding the pistons at the outer. limit of their play.

3. In a rotarysteamengine, in combination with a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, rotatable plates forming side walls for the chamber therein, rings forming flanges for retaining said plates in position, packings for the edges of said plates, a spider located within said chamber, a shaft to which the spider is secured, pistons radially movable in said spiderand having reduced portions forming shanks, and springs surrounding said shanks for holding the pistons at the outer limit of their play.

4. In a rotary steam-engine, in combination With a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, rotatable plates forming sidewalls for the chamber in said shell, rings secured to the shell and forming flanges to support said plates, packings located in the grooves in the shell about the periphery of said plates, a spider located in the chamber in the shell, a shaft to which said spider is secured, pistons radially movable in said spider, and means for forcing the pistons to the outer limit of their play.

5. In a rotary steam-engine, in combination with a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, rotatable plates forming side walls for the chamber within the shell, and having guide-grooves for pistons, a web located within the shell for forcing the pistons backward, pistons mounted in aspider with their edges located in said grooves having reduced portions forming shanks, the spider mounted in the chamber, a shaft to which the spider is secured, and springs surrounding said shanks for forcing the pistons to the outer limit of their play.

6. In combination in a rotary engine, a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicatingtherewith, rotatable plates forming side walls for the opening within the shell and having piston guide-grooves therein, a spider mounted within said chamber, a shaft to which the spider is secured, means for securing said plates and spider together, pistons mounted in the spider and having reduced portions forming shanks and with their edges located in said grooves, and means for forcing the pistons to the outer limit of their play.

7. In combination in a rotary steam-engine, a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, rotatable plates forming side walls for the opening within the shell, a spider mounted within said chamber, a shaft to which the spider is secured, separatelyformed guide-plates extending between the hub and the rim of the spider and forming guideways for the pistons, pistons located within said guideways, and means for holding the pistons at the outer limit of their play.

8. In combination in a rotary engine, ashell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, rotatable plates forming side walls for the openings within the shell and having piston guide-grooves therein, a spider mounted within said chamber, a shaft to which the spider is secured separately-formed guideplates extending between the hub and rim of the spider forming arms therefor and also guideways for pistons, and pistons located in said guideways and having blades extending across the chamber in the shell and reduced portions forming shanks, and springs surrounding the arms and shanks to force the pistons to the outer limit of their play.

9. In a rotary engine, in combination with a shell having supply and exhaust pipes communicating therewith, said plates forming walls for the opening in the shell and having guide-grooves in the plates, and means for forcing the pistons to the outer limit of their play.

PER OSCAR GRUNDBERG.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS, WM. H. BARKER. 

